Upholstery pad stuffing machinery



May 12, 19.0036. T. l.. McJoYNT 2,040,094

UPHOLSTERY PAD STUFFING MACHINERY Filed May 29, 1953 s sheets-sheet 1 n@ HE QV,

May12,11936. i T. L. MCJoYN-r 2,040,000

` UPHOLSTERY PAD STUFFING MACHINERY d Wg |A.

- l Ue W wl' j rm I Mr H Vl7` Il' l/J Mj/0W 7 VEA/7i@ mu/ ay l2, 1936.

l T. L. McJOYNT V UPHOLSTERY PAD STUFFING MACHINERY Filed May 29, 1953 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 il li vVE/v To@ Patented May 12, 1936 UNITED' STATES NT OFFICE 8 Claims.

My invention relates generally to improved means for stuffing upholstery pads or the like, the mechanism employed in the stuffing process being somewhat the same as that disclosed in my co-pending applications Number 669,112` and 670,436 filed May 3, 1933 and May 11, 1933` respectively, covering Upholstery pad stumng machinery, the difference between the aforementioned pending application and the structure disclosed herein being in the construction of the mold used in conveying the pad to the filling nozzle andthe method of supporting the pad within the said mold.

The main object of the invention is to provide l5 improved means to accelerate mechanical pad stuffing methods heretofore employed. The principle of stufling pads employed by me in those devices I have invented isto conne the pad within an open ended mold, distend the sewn partitions. `within the pad by mechanical means, connect the said distension means with 4a source of stufng supply and then, through the medium of air pressure, blast the stung into the pad, slowly withdrawing the distension means as the pad lls up ahead of it.

inasmuch asthe cloth in one side of the padis porous and the moldinclosure on the top side is perforated, the air pressure generated by the blast Vfan wil-1 be expelled through the pores` of the pad .material and the perforated top of the mold as the solid distension means is pulled away from the inner end of the pad. Inasmuch as there is a direct solid connection from the hopper to the end of the solid distension means, the air pres- I sure will be approximately the same from the fan to the end of the distension means, thus insuring the carrying of the disseminated stuffing to the very end ofthe pad with sufficient force as to cause it to be firmly packed ahead of the distension means.

l The principle of the invention disclosed in this application is identically the same except that a 'diierent means is employed to accomplish the result. Whereas met-al tubes have been used to distend the pad sleeves in the process of filling vand' the said tubes connected with a lling nozzle and then withdrawn from the-pad onto the filling nozzle, the device disclosed herein provides for in- 0 closing of the sewn apertures in the pad to be filled in a manner as to conne the sleeves so formed in said pad as to prevent the escape o1.' air from the said sleeve inclosure, thus assuring air `pressureand a consequent flow of material 55 from the blast fan to the end of the section of (Cl. 22B-433') the said pad without the use of the distension tubes, abover mentioned.

To better understand the invention, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings in WhiCh 5 Fig. 1 is a side plan view of the mechanism employed in the filling operation, the parts shown being partially in section and partially in plan;

Fig.'2 is a fragmentary plan view 0f a mold disclosing the locking means therefor; 1o

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary plan view of a lmold disclosing more details of the locking means;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary plan View of the said rrold disclosing the rear endl construction there- Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional View of the said mold;

Fig. 6 is a topi plan view of a modification of the mold;

Fig. 'l is a front plan view of the modification 20 disclosed in Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 isa top plan View of a sewn pad and plate for 4distending the open ends in the sleeves formed by the sewing of the said pad;

Fig.. 9 is a side elevation of the carriage used 25 for conveying pads to the filling nozzles;

Fig. 10 is a front elevation of a mold with the distending. plate removed therefrom;

Fig. 11 is a top plan view of the pad distending plate; 30

Fig. 12 is a front plan view of the said distending plate; and

Fig. 13 is a top fragmentary plan view of the said mold.

In the drawings the numeral I0 is used to 35 designate a hopper from which stuffing is drawn into a blast fan II and from thence blown into chutes i2 and I3 alternately.

A valve I4 havingits axis at I5 controls the flow of material from one chute to the other by 40 manual adjustment by the stufng operators so that the operation of pad stung is carried on continuously, there being no necessity of shutting offy the blast fan while one operator changes the loading nozzle from one section of a pad to an- 45 other. This is due to the fact that while one operator is iilling one section of his pad, the operator of the other nozzle is adjusting his nozzle as to fill a section in the pad before him. Therefore, a continuous flow of the material to one operator or the other is preserved. This portion of my invention is covered in my Patent Number 1,828,673granted October- 20, 1931 and in my other co-.pending applications, Serial Numbers 665,735 and 669,112 filed April l2, 1933 and May nozzles, the larger tubular ends of which are Yso fixed to the open ends of chutes I2 and I3; the said nozzles I6 and I'I are reduced from a point about two feet from the ends thereof to a contour which is semi-elliptical in cross section, thus providing an exhaust orifice which is semi-elliptical in contour. The reason for the particular shape of the ,exhaust orice will be explained herein-`` after.

Tubes I8 and I9 are telescoped over the nozzles I6 and I'I, the contour of the said tubes being semi-elliptical in cross section and their lengths being approximately the lengths of the semi-e1- liptical extensions of the nozzles I6 and I'I.

An emergency exhaust 2D is positioned between the fanV II and the valve I4 so that when, for some reason or other, it is necessary to shut off both lling nozzles, an auxiliary means is afforded of diverting the stuffing as it comes from the blower. This auxiliary exhaust is usually connected back to the hopper so that in the interim of total shut-off of the nozzle (which is accomplished by closing a valve ZI located directly ahead of the emergency exhaust orice) stuffing is diverted to the exhaust orifice and from thence back into the hopper, thus preventing a congestion of material back of the valve 2l. The auxiliary exhaust valve.in addition to the stuiing diversion valve I4 is controlled by either of the two nozzle operators by means of ropes or levers.

A track frame, on which are mounted parallel spaced tracks 22 and 23, is positioned adjacent the orifices of the nozzles, the said tracks being so spaced as to permit the alignment of pad molds with the exhaust orices of the staggered parallel nozzles, one of the said nozzles being positioned to fill pads in molds riding on one track and the other to fill pads on the adjacent track.

In order to facilitate the travel of the molds along the track, the said molds are provided with flanged wheels 24, said wheels being aiiixed to the bottom of the molds.

The mold per se, the construction of which is the essence of the invention described herein, has a solid bottom 25 and a perforated hinged top 26. As shown in Figure 13the hinged top 26 consists principally of a wire mesh screen and a supporting marginal frame. The top and bottom members of the said mold are relatively adjustable through the medium of bolts and nuts 28 and adjustable hinge members 29. The rear end of the said mold is also perforated and consists of a frame 30 to which a, screen 3| is a'ixed.

Locking members 32 are provided, the said locking members being affixed to the hinged top of the said mold and the bottom ends of the said locking members are so formed as t0 cause the top to be locked to the base when the said hinged top is in closed position. These locking members are also adjustable so that the lock is operative at any adjustment of the height of the mold. The end opposite the hinged end of the mold, which we will hereafter designate as the front end, is open and the top and bottom members of the mold are spaced from each other through the medium of the adjustable members 28.V

A rubber friction member 34 extends across the front end of the hinged top on the underside thereof, and on the bottom of the said mold adjacent to and aligned with the top friction member is another rubber friction member 35. Both of the said rubber friction members are shown in Figure 5 to be set in channel strips by which the same are supported. The lower friction member is adjustable relative to the top friction member through the medium of adjustable nuts and bolts |50. The function of the heretofore described friction members will be explained hereinafter.

A rectangular shaped distension plate 36 closes the front of the mold when an empty pad to be lled is positioned therein. Said plate 36 has orifices 31, the edges of which are inturned to form collars 38; the said orices are semi-ellipticalin contour and are adapted to receive the telescopic sleeves I8 and I9 in the process of lling pads. However, the dimensions of the-said orifices and the telescopic sleeves are determined by the size of the sleeves in the pad to be filled, the sleeves in the said pad being formed by sewing the said pad across its width as to form pockets for the stuing. It is also to be noted that the number of the orices in the plate is determined by the number of sleeves sewn in the pad to be lled. The same applies to the filling nozzles. Since the stumng mechanism is principally designed for automobile pads where great quantities of similar size pads are to be stuffed, the sections in the pads are usually of uniform size and therefore only one set of plates is necessary. However, the mechanism is so designed as to permit the majority of it to be used when another size pad adapted to take more or less stuffing and having more or less sleeves formed in it is to be used, the amount of stung to be put in the pad being determined by the height of the mold, which invention is described and claimed in my Patent Number 1,828,673 granted October 20, 1931 heretofore mentioned.

The construction of the mold herein described includes separating strips 39 and 40 which are aii'ixed to the top and bottom members of the mold adjacent one another. These separating strips run from the front to the rear end of the mold and are spaced as to provide an inclosure between the sewn spaced sleeves in the pad when the pad is mounted in the mold. Therefore, Vwhen the pad is positioned in the mold and the cover closed, the adjacent separating strips contact the'sewn portion of the pad partitions and thus separately close each sleeve in the pad, the edges of the separating strips being so spaced from one another when the mold is closed as t0 tightly press the strips of cloth between them. The said separating strips are readily removable so that when the height of the mold is changed, separating strips of greater or lesser depth may be inserted to compensate for the change in the height of the mold.

Wooden slides 42 are fitted into the hinged top of the frame directly over the screen by tongue and groove connections. These slides are adapted to be pulled towards the operator through the medium of handles 43 and are so moldin the manner described in my co-pending75 :ago-40pm application, SerialfiNumber 70,436JifiledaMayt11,

. 1933. Thelihingedscover isuclosed omt'hefmold :the frictionmembers :then nontact'sthe plate .col- :lars and thus the open endspf thefpadvareirmly .flocked on the. plate :collars in 41.the:frontziend .of

the said mold. The closingsof the :cover .willta'lso cause the separating; strips`A to contact `the .sewn

.portionsof the'padjlthusiisolating each section `of .the said pad.

. A lling. nozzle .fis inserted` into the :number I orificein the `:plate andi when'lthestufiing material is idiverted to :the said nozzle, the 'stuffing will '.be

beingdetermined bythespeed-with which the pad ffills .up .ahead of the rear Aedge V`of .the said f slide,

the process being similar to the-withdrawal ofthe kmetal tubes described inf-my :copending applications.

L When onesectionlorisleeve of the pad has been filled, the operator diverts the ow of fillling to the other operator and at the same time withdraws the tube employed in the previous filling operation and introduces it into the immediately following or into another sleeve in preparation for the filling of that new sleeve. In this way, the filling operation is continued with an alternating supply of material between the two operators until both pads have been filled.

Of course, when a particular sleeve is lled, the operato-r having charge of that sleeve may divert the flow of filling material to the other operator through actuation of the valve I5.

As the pads are filled they are rolled out of the way for the placing of new pa'ds in loading position, attention in this regard being invited to Figure 1 in which it is illustrated that the molds receiving the pads are provided with the wheels 24 that are shown to be mounted on parallel tracks.

In the form of invention illustrated in Figures 6 and 7, the mold is generally designated by the numeral D and is provided with a top 2I0 hingedly mounted as indicated at 2|2 and having a body of wire mesh screen 220 extending over the major portion of the surface thereof for the escape of the air by which the filling material was introduced into the adjacent pad. In this form of invention, the screen 220 is initially covered by a single closure strip or member 224 and such closure member 224 is shown to be provided with a handle 226 by which the closure may be moved to air discharging position in consonance with the lling of the pad.

Thus, it will be seen that the form of invention illustrated in Figures 6 and 7 differs from the matter disclosed in the other figures principally in the fact that there is provided but a single member 224 which initially extends over that part of the pad to be lled and is retractable in consonance with the lling of the pad to the end that the escape of air is prevented until such air has deposited the filling carried thereby at the farthermost available point within the pad.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a mechanism for iilling upholstery pads having spaced parallel rows of stitching defining separate parallel sleeves for the reception of a filling, a mold embodying upper and lower complemental sections having means defining a compartment for the reception of a pad, and spaced :parallel separatingstrips carried by the opposed :side of the sections and extending longitudinally .thereof and projecting into said compartment for pressure contact'with 'the `sewn portions ofthe Jpad; means to lockthe sections ytogether, with-:said` Yspaced'stripsextending longitudinally. of vsaid'rows of :stitchingin pressure/contact fwith `the adjacent portions of the pad.

`2. In :a mechanismfor lling upholstery vpads having spaced parallel 'rows .of stitching .definingiio `separate .par-allel, sleeves `for lthe reception of a lling, a mold embodying upper andlower'zcom- -zplemental sections having means deiiningacompartment forthe reception of `azpad, 'andxspaced parallel'separating strips carried by 4theopposedil5 side of the sections and extending longitudinally thereof andprojecting-into` said compartment for pressure contact `with the sewn portionsLofthe pad, means to lock the sectionstogether with said portions of` the pad, said upper` section .beinglproportion ofthe pad for the passagesof;V air, `:spaced parallel guides carried by the outer side of the upper section and extending longitudinally of the sleeves of the pad, and imperforate closure strips slidably carried by said guides and individually covering the perforations outwardly of the associated sleeves of the pad, there being means whereby the imperforate slides may be selectively withdrawn to uncover the adjacent perforations in consonance with the filling of the individual sleeves.

3. In a mechanism for filling upholstery pads having spaced parallel rows of stitching defining parallel sleeves for the reception of filling, upper and lower sections having means cooperating in forming a compartment for the reception of an upholstery pad, the upper section of the mold being formed with perforations for the discharge of air and extending over the sleeves of the pad for the major portion of the length of such sleeves, guide strips carried by the upper section immediately outward of the rows of stitching in the pad, and imperforate closure strips carried by said guide strips immediately outward of the sleeves to individually cover the perforations adjacent to the associated sleeves and being selectively retractable to individually uncover the perforations of the associated sleeves in consonance with the filling of such sleeves.

4. In a mold for filling pads having spaced parallel sleeves for the reception of a filling, a pair of sections having means cooperating in deiining a compartment for the reception of a pad, one of said sections being provided with perforations extending over the major portion of the pad for the passage of air, and imperforate closure strips covering said perforations, and being located immediately outward of the sleeves in parallel relation thereto and being individually retractable to progressively uncover the perforations adjacent to the associated sleeves in consonance with the filling of the pads.

5. In a mold for filling pads having spaced parallel elongated sleeves for the reception of a filling, a member having a compartment for the reception of a pad and a filling that is introduced into the elongated sleeves of the pad by way of a column of flowing air, said member being provided with an inlet for the reception of a column of flowing air and the filling carried thereby, and separate elongated closures initially covering the said elongated sleeves and the adjacent portion spaced .stripsextending longitudinally vof said'rowszo -of stitching in pressure contact with the .adjacent `of the compartment and being movable to uncover the sleeves and theadjacent portion of the f compartment in consonance With the lling of the sleeves for the escape of air.

6. In a mold for viilling pads with a filling material that is furnished thereto in a column of flowing air, a member having a compartment for the reception of a pad and a lling that is introduced into the pad by Way of a column of flowing air, said member being provided with an inlet for the reception of a column of flowing air and the filling carried thereby, and a closure initially covering that part of the pad to be lled and being movable to uncover such part of the pad in consonance with the pad lling operation for the escape of air.

7. In a mold for lling pads with a lling material that is furnished thereto in a column of flowing air, a member having a compartment for the reception of a pad and a pad lling that is introduced into the pad by Way of a column of oWing air, one end of said member being formed with an inlet for the reception of a column of air and the filling suspended therein and the opposite end of the member being open for the discharge of air, and a closure member initially covering one side of that part of the pad that is unfilled and being movable to uncover the pad in consonance with the pad filling operation for the escape of air.

8. In a mold for filling pads with a lling material that is furnished thereto in a column of oWing air, a pair of complementa] sections having means cooperating in the formation of a compartment for the reception of a pad and a lling that is furnished to the pad by way of a column of flowing air, one of said sections being provided with perforations extending over a substantial portion of the pad for the discharge of the air by Which the lling Was furnished to the pad, and a closure strip covering said perforations and located immediately outward of the pad, there being means for the movement of the closure strip to perforation uncovering position concurrently with the lling of the pad for the escape of air.

THOMAS L. MCJOYNT. 

